COVID-19 Impact On Labour Migration and Fair Recruitment by Laxmi Prasad

ILO Global Media Competition 2021 on Labour Migration
Topic: COVID-19 impact on labour migration and fair recruitment.
Category : Student Journalists
Abstract:
The COVID-19 crisis is having a substantial impact on all aspects of our lives.
The immediate focus and ongoing priority is inevitably, and correctly, on public
health, and is likely to remain that way for the coming weeks and months.
 However, there is a high degree of interest in the many other impacts of

COVID-19, including the many economic and labour market impacts,
which have been immediate and very significant, and likely to continue in
the near future or potentially beyond.
In the case of the labour market many millions of workers across a large number
of countries have been directly impacted by lockdowns.
Some are able to continue their work through Tele-Working or remote working
arrangements. Many others have seen a reduction or complete loss of their
livelihood.
Others still, for example workers in health or public security, will experience a
different type of change, namely a huge increase in working burden in the face
of the crisis.
The restrictions necessary to combat COVID-19 are creating a huge obstacle to

normal data collection approaches and operations, exactly at the moment when
there is a massive increase in demand for information.
Furthermore, the situation is rapidly evolving, making normal planning

impossible.
Introduction:
COVID-19 is affecting people in rich countries but less has been reported on
what is happening in poor countries.
Paradoxically, the first images of COVID-19 that India associates with are not
ventilators or medical professionals in ICUs but of migrant labourers trudging
back to their villages hundreds of miles away, lugging their belongings.
1
With most of the economy shut down, the fragility of India’s labour market was
patent. It is estimated that in the first wave, almost 10 million people returned to
their villages, half a million of them walking or bicycling.
 After the economic stoppage, the International Labour Organization has

projected that 400 million people in India risk falling into poverty.
Millions of migrant workers are anticipated to be left unemployed in India due
to the lockdown and subsequent fear of recession. Many of the migrant workers
have returned to their villages, and many more are just waiting for the lockdown
to be lifted.
The risk is particularly higher for those who are working in unorganised sectors,
and those who do not have writer contracts, or those whose contracts are at the
verge of completion. The lockdown and the subsequent recession are likely to
first hit contract workers across many of the industries.
On the one hand, lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up jobs
and incomes, whereas they are likely to disrupt agricultural production,
transportation systems, and supply chains on the other.
This poses a challenge of ensuring food security and controlling already

rampant malnutrition, particularly among children, which is likely to result in
increased infant and child mortality.
There is a need to relook at the national migration policies, which should

accommodate the assistance and protection of migrants arriving from, or faced
with the prospect of returning to, areas affected by health crises.
Also, there is a need to establish resilient food systems that could reduce food
insecurity and the pressure to return to origin among migrants.
Another major challenge raised by the pandemic could be on the food security
and nutrition.
 The COVID-19 may bring hunger to millions of people around the world.
Available evidence suggests that insecurity is one of the main reasons
why people abandon their livelihoods and move to other places.

Crisis increases food insecurity and limits the livelihood options of migrant
populations.
2
On the one hand, lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up work
and incomes, whereas they are likely to disrupt agricultural production,
transportation systems and supply chains on the other.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), an estimated

265 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of year
2020.
India is one among the countries where child under nutrition is severe. Around
38.4 per cent, 21 per cent and 35.7 per cent of children below 5 years suffer
from stunting, wasting and underweight, respectively.
 Malnourishment results in compromised immunity, which puts an

individual with a greater risk and susceptible to the spread of the virus.
Under nutrition is a major underlying cause of child mortality in India, as
it is the primary reason behind 69 per cent of deaths of children below the
age of 5 in India.
The corona virus epidemic has come with extraordinary, intense uncertainty. It
is difficult to estimate how long and to what extent will the impact of the
epidemic be on the lives of people and economy of the country.
The government has to come up with a well-crafted strategy to deal with this
crisis. At the national level, greater coordination is required between
government agencies separately tasked with migration and health mandates.
There is also a need to relook at the national migration policies, which should
accommodate the assistance and protection of migrants arriving from, or faced
with the prospect of returning to, the areas affected by health crises.
Establishment of resilient food systems could reduce food insecurity and the
pressure to return to origin among migrants. More research is required on the
impact of health crises on migration, particularly in distinguishing health from
other motivations to migrate.
In the process, we learned important things about ourselves:
We can move fast and be flexible when the situation requires it.
We are resilient. Nothing in our collective experience has tested us as this
pandemic has.
3
We are innovative and can devise solutions on the fly, even when conditions
aren’t perfect.
We have aligned our missions with our priorities like never before.
In just 10 months, we’ve made Tele-Health a much more integral part of our
health care platform.
We are engaged in important dialogues about our state’s health care disparities,
which the pandemic has exposed in stark relief.
 As we look ahead - and at some point we must look ahead - I challenge

each of us to shift our lens to capture the lessons learned from the
pandemic and to think about how we will use these experiences to move
us forward in 2021.
Recommendation:
“The social awareness in most of the Indian population is very less. We must
take a huge initiative to upright social awareness”.
In some critical situations, even fake news, rumour, hoax can act like an atom
bomb to take away the lives of many people.
This lack of awareness situation can be solved through an efficient collaboration

between Government and private enterprises.
We must learn to appreciate Nature:
We keep on hurting our environment for the sake of our profit. We fill up ponds
just to stand one skyscraper, deforestation we see in every corner of the globe,
wastage of potable water, use of plastic is gradually destroying the aqua
environment.
But we should not forget that these never pay. If we don’t start realizing now,
then we have to face the heat again shortly.
4
While the COVID-19 pandemic is tragically affecting people’s health, lives and
livelihoods, it has also had a noticeable positive impact on our environment in
just few months.
In many places, reduced economic and transport activities brought about by

measures to reduce the spreading of the pandemic have resulted in the short
term in cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions and less noise.
Conclusion:
“Change is inevitable. Change is also difficult and slow”.
Migrant labourers in both India and China are susceptible to suffer in the unseen
health or national and international crisis in this globalised world.
Nevertheless, given the structural differences between India and China, migrant
labourers especially landless in India are quickly slipping into poverty, given
the only source of income, that is, wage, is adversely affected.
Therefore, as the Government of India is mulling the idea of bringing ‘National

Land Reforms Policy’, allotting a small piece of agriculture land to every rural
household may provide stable income to those landless labourers, as above
discussion and data have shown.
Moreover, the inability to absorb labourers in the rural economy through the
MGNREGA even after the 15 years of its inception clearly indicates that it has
failed to provide meaningful employment and therefore less attractive.
At best, MGNREGA acts as a cushion to reduce the pain by providing

temporary employment for livelihood. Nonetheless, the scheme marginally
increases the income of landowning labourers. Thus, landowning migrant
labourers are less prone to feel the heat of crisis than landless labourers.
Our healthcare system has shown great alacrity and competence in meeting the
extraordinary and evolving challenge.
 Our leadership and administration have proved their mettle in these

testing times. I believe that together we will weather the storm.
5
We know the pandemic is not over. In fact, the worst may still be ahead of us.
But I am confident that we are ready for whatever comes our way, in this or any
other year.
I hope you will take all necessary precautions during Thanksgiving and take the
opportunity to rest, recharge and remain.
Nature is reminding us to acknowledge, with humility, our quintessential

equality and interdependency. It’s a lesson – imparted at a heavy price – that
will come handy in mitigating global challenges like climate change as well as
in building a better, common future.
The scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compels us to acknowledge

ethical and practical problems in the world economy.
‘There must be continuous efforts to encourage governments to be accountable

for migrant workers’ suffering due to the pandemic’.
The End

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ILO Global Media Competition 2021 on Labour Migration

Topic: COVID-19 impact on labour migration and fair recruitment.

Category : Student Journalists

 However, there is a high degree of interest in the many other impacts of

The restrictions necessary to combat COVID-19 are creating a huge obstacle to

Furthermore, the situation is rapidly evolving, making normal planning

 After the economic stoppage, the International Labour Organization has

This poses a challenge of ensuring food security and controlling already

There is a need to relook at the national migration policies, which should

According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), an estimated

 Malnourishment results in compromised immunity, which puts an

In the process, we learned important things about ourselves:

 As we look ahead - and at some point we must look ahead - I challenge

This lack of awareness situation can be solved through an efficient collaboration

We must learn to appreciate Nature:

In many places, reduced economic and transport activities brought about by

“Change is inevitable. Change is also difficult and slow”.

Therefore, as the Government of India is mulling the idea of bringing ‘National

At best, MGNREGA acts as a cushion to reduce the pain by providing

 Our leadership and administration have proved their mettle in these

Nature is reminding us to acknowledge, with humility, our quintessential

The scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compels us to acknowledge

‘There must be continuous efforts to encourage governments to be accountable

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